As any Trekkie will tell you, Klingons are the bad-asses of Star Trek. Although not originally, they are now portrayed as a great warrior race that originated from the planet Qo’noS and a race that values family reputation and honor above all else. Originally developed by Star Trek screenwriter Gene L. Coon, who is also credited with creating The Prime Directive, Zefram Cochrane and Khan Noonien Singh, they were named after Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Initially intended to be antagonists for the crew of the USS Enterprise, the Klingons eventually became a close ally of humanity and the United Federation of Planets. Klingons started off their fictional life by being portrayed as darkly colored humanoids with long thin moustache and very little honor.

As the Star Trek budget grew, Klingon race was re-designed to give them a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor. Ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth were added to their appearance, and the interiors of Klingon ships took on a dark and moody atmosphere, creating a warrior race that we all know and love today.

Since their first appearance, Klingon race has undergone some dramatic changes, with some not explained until decades later. With the recent revival of Star Trek, their appearance got yet another overhaul. Admittedly, we didn’t see much of them, but the little we saw indicated a change from their last appearance in Star Trek.

Now, Neville Page, a highly acclaimed concept artist, has revealed his concepts for the Klingon race he had created for Star Trek Into Darkness that never made it into the movie. Page boasts an impressive resume with concept and creature design credits on many films including Star Trek (2009, 2013), Avatar, Watchmen, Green Lantern, TRON: Legacy, to name a few. His iconic designs have made him a recognizable name in Hollywood and the “go-to” guy for awesome concept designs.

He had this to say of his designs:

This first round of images are some of the development of the Klingons. This was a very important assignment for me because I knew how important it was to the fans of the franchise. It was a delicate balance of respecting the established looks from previous incarnations yet delivering something appropriate for JJ’s film. Part of my self induced criteria was to make a cleaner version (especially regarding the forehead) and to make them sexy (or sexier if you already find them sexy!).

 

Looking at his concepts, makes us wish we could have seen more of Klingons on the big screen. It would probably have made a fictional race more popular than ever. After all, how many fictional species can boast their own working language, created by Marc Okrand, dictionary and even an online translator that can instantly translate entire webpages into Klingon language?  Not many, that’s for sure! So check out our favorite pics of some of the awesome work that Neville Page has done on the Klingons and for a full gallery of his work, check out his portfolio.